NODES - SPOKE 6 Project VINO - D5.4 Report on the relation between spray-related stress on entomopathogenic nematodes and efficacy against the target insects

The document shows the effect of simulated sprayer-related stress of commercial formulations containing entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) on the nematode capability to infect and kill an emerging pest of grapevine, namely the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica. Two soil types (loam and sandy soil) were used for a test under controlled conditions. Soils were placed in tanks with field collected P. japonica larvae and sprayed with an EPN formulation, either undisturbed or exposed to simulated sprayer-related stress, or left unsprayed. After one week the mortality induced in the larvae was compared among treatments for each soil type. The EPN efficiency, expressed as the level of induced mortality recorded on target larvae, seemed to be more severely affected by sprayer-related stress on loam soil than in sandy soil, as only in loam soil a significant reduction of larval mortality was recorded after spraying with the stressed mixture. This document is a deliverable of the project VINO ("VIneyard management for viNeprOduction"), which proposes research for sustainable innovation supported by the digitalisation of the wine sector with the primary objective of creating new solutions and readapting existing practices to cope with the effects of climate change in viticulture. This document is part of the project NODES which has received funding from the MUR – Missione 4, Componente 2, Investimento 1.5 – Creazione e rafforzamento di “Ecosistemi dell’innovazione”, costruzione di “leader territoriali di R&S'' – del PNRR funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU with grant agreement no. ECS00000036